Stanley Matthews,
 standing on the home base,
 Looks at the ball in the pitcher’s left hand,
Wondering how fast the baseball will move this time
 And what his last chance will turn out to be.
 In Matthews’ ten years’ experience
 As a baseball player,
 He knows he is dealing with a thorny issue.
The pitcher is smart, strong, and careful.
The ball that he throws is like lightning.
Worried,
Stanley Matthews knows
 He has little chance of hitting a home run,
Which his team needs to win the game.
The pitcher nods at the catcher,
And then raises his left hand.
The ball comes Matthews’ way at more than 170 km an hour.
Matthews has less than one second to decide
How he will swing his bat.
Matthews swings his bat hard.
The ball flies high away,
And the last chance of winning the game does, too.
* tense 令人緊張旳 pitcher 投手 lightning 閃電 catcher 捕手
【題組】37. What does a thorny issue mean?
(A) A difficult problem.
(B) A good chance of winning.
(C) A common game.
(D) An exciting moment.